One track open after Metra derailment in Elgin

The debris from a freight train derailment on the Metra Milwaukee District West Line in Elgin has been cleared from one set of tracks this morning.

Commuters should still expect delays of 10- to 20-minutes, Metra spokesman Mike Gillis said Monday morning.

The Sunday derailment blocked service to West suburban stations and closed a number of roads Sunday.

Eight cars of a westbound Canadian Pacific train derailed just before 2 p.m. near Raymond Street, the Elgin Police Department said.

Police responded to the scene after receiving numerous 911 calls and found the cars in a ditch with debris scattered.

Metra bused commuters traveling to and from the Bartlett, National Street, Elgin and Big Timber stations Sunday night as the wreckage was being cleared.

Seven of the derailed cars were open-top cars containing coils of steel, and the eighth contained cornstarch, according to Canadian Pacific officials. Six steel coils fell out of the train during the derailment.

Some of the cars on the train contained “hazardous materials” according to the Elgin Police Department, but those cars were not involved in the derailment.

Canadian Pacific expected to have the 71-car train moved from the scene by midnight, but Metra officials said their trains will be slightly delayed because the track was badly damaged.

“We will be able to run it on a single track,” Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile said.

Elgin police closed Raymond Street between Bluff City Boulevard and Kenyon Road and Saint Charles Street from Elgin Avenue to Kenyon Road.

The cause of the derailment was unknown Sunday night as the investigation continued.

Metra recommends commuters check its website at www.metrarail.com before departing.

No one was injured during the derailment.

Elgin police are asking anyone who witnessed the derailment to call (848) 289-2700.